In the future, cars will be networked, personalized, and connected to the cloud. The laws protecting personal data collected from these cars? Still largely road kill...

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One blurb I'd comment on is:

Because the cars in the Ann Arbor test only need to know the location of other vehicles within 300 meters, there’s no need to connect to the Internet or record your car’s location, says van der Jagt. And since the system doesn’t collect any data from the car’s registration or VIN, there’s no way for Ford or anyone else to know who you are and where you’re going, he adds.

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Not knowing the details of that test I don't know if this would apply. However, it seems virtually certain to me that when such systems are deployed they *will* identify themselves via a GUID of some sort and there *will* be records that allow for VIN<->GUID lookups and by extension Registration<->GUID lookups. So as is the case with so very many existing systems, entities will likely make calming assertions about <sensitive identifier and/or info> not being transmitted or collected despite knowing full well that their use of GUIDs in combination with other information already in their possession make such assertions a "technically correct but practically speaking fraudulent" assertion. If the cars aren't explicitly designed to communicate with base stations, then receivers will be deployed across the road network likely at those locations where there are cameras. There will be a real-time surveillance capability created no matter what. Probably one that would allow someone monitoring traffic cameras to "click" on a vehicle and immediately identify its VIN, registration, and perhaps those who are inside the vehicle based on their cell phones communicating with the vehicle.